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still mad

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Beermad is back to its regular schedule it looks like, and this time they’re making the most of a local holiday weekend to have four days instead of the normal three. It’s still at Casa de Campo, still somewhat limited entry, although there are morning and afternoon passes, plus all-day passes this time around. Unsociable person that I am, I go in the morning, when fewer people are looking to really drink down some beers, and of they’re there it’s really to enjoy the experience.

There was also a stand called Vamos a Beer. Good puns!

I always start on the dark side; just that kind of girl I guess. There are more to choose from than in other editions, but the first one I lay eyes on is a real licker too: Toccalmatto’s 28 Imperial Stout. They specialize in making low-carb beers and this one is also no added sugars, just the natural malts. That sounds like a pretty normal stout, but it also has some chipotle that you might think needs a but of balancing. Happy to try it out! It smells a little winey, but there’s a good thick head. The color is slightly lighter than I expect from stout. The taste is woody, malty, leafy, very nature-focused. I would even call it a healthy flavor. As promised, there’s a touch of chili. It’s a 12%-er, so the lightness in the mouth is surprising, and the alcohol does catch up to you if you’re not careful. It’s a chili-chocolate sensation, only slightly bitter, and could be hard to beat today.

Next I ask for Vandalia’s Azabache Porter. This one isn’t on tap, the lack of head is probably my own poor pouring skills. It’s fizzy and with a nice porter color, with a kind of root beery, vaguely sour fruit smell. This porter also has a woody flavor, but a different kind, more robust. It’s drier than the stout and not very fruity for a porter. While solid and mouth filling, it doesn’t make you think of road tar (“azabache”), it’s quite easy on the palate and would even be a good accompaniment to a meal.

In a whole-ass bottle!

My quest for the darkness continues with La Charanga’s 28850 Stout. Also little head (and I didn’t pour this time), but otherwise good appearance. No strong aromas off this one. It’s very malty and slightly smoky, with an underlying bitter just lurking. It has more body than the previous beers, a little sticky and moderately heavy. Notes of licorice and coffee surface over time. It is a nice beer, more imposing than Vandalia’s porter but simpler in presentation than Toccalmatto.

It turns out I’m not impervious to a good invitation. While I could have stuck to black beers, From Lost to the River offered a taste of all three of their beers before making a decision (none were stouts) and I couldn’t resist. There was an English bitter style – very nice – a light and normal IPA, and a very hop forward dry hopped version. I had to have something to equal those powerful black beers from before, so that was Lost IPA, with some more hops behind it. It’s very golden, little head, and sports a bubbly hop aroma. It’s not actually super bitter but very modern hoppy, juicy, with a little bit of peach. You get a good mouthful of beer rather than a poof of overwhelming hops that claw their way down your throat. It’s a bright and blinky beer, styled more as a West Coast IPA than other types, and I would call it fairly standard for IPAs today. I would also say there’s a reason for that being standard.

I only have a morning ticket, so I can’t stay forever. I do have plenty of time for one more, though, and I usually feel like I should leave on a light note. I was intrigued by Cervecería La Política and thought that might be a good closer. I was hoping for a big story about one party or another, but it seems like they’re just playing off the current feeling of dissociation. Anyway, another IPA, fitting aroma and good strong head. Faintly opaque. It’s very much a normal IPA, hoppy, biting-bitter, floral soft and clean. A finishing beer, really, although it does have a hint of dust in it. It feels like a quick gulp and a soft swallow, very easy on the tongue and yet it still has a certain amount of personality to put forward. I only wonder what kind of politics might be represented by the color on the label…

at the feet of giants

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It’s an early summer, but damn if I won’t find a stout to go with my weekend. La Mundial recommends Cierzo’s Colossus, an imperial stout at a hefty 10%. I hope the shade of the beer will have some kind of placebo effect and give me the illusion of being in the shade, with a cool breeze keeping things civilized. As it is, I have some serious worries about keeping comfortable in July. We keep hearing promises that there won’t be restrictions on water usage, but once elections pass anything goes, I bet.

A little more shook up than it should be, but that might be the excessive temperatures. Looks nice anyway, good dark color, fluffy head. It has a green and piercing kind of aroma, and a slightly sour smoky taste. It’s a little bit dusty with a solid stout mouthfeel, but still easy going down. It develops some plant notes while it warms, but the smoke stays steady and stimulating coffee also makes an appearance. It’s not the biggest stout I’ve ever had, but Colossus has stature and poise, it’s a fine specimen for sure.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €4.70

beer-o-ma

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It’s one of those times when the label is what gets a beer into your hand. I mean, look at that thing! Not that I’m a fan of the Clockwork Orange movie, I think it’s too easy to see as a glorification of assholery, but it’s so visually identifiable. And that’s the vision right there, staring out at you and daring you to risk your evening drinking a 7.4% DDH NEIPA. Octavo Arte knows what they’re doing with La Naranja Segoviana, at least in terms of attracting attention.

It’s a very light color, a little too dusty to be sunny and a reflection of the early summer day. There’s a very strong citrus aroma, even through my summer-air-dulled stuffy nose. Does it open the nasal passages a little? Maybe a little, in anticipation. It’s on the bitter side of the NEIPA scale, although it has a pretty solid body to it. It’s less juicy than some of its style, more piney and westward-leaning. But, that works just fine for the weather. The beer is smooth and a soft drink, but if you’re not careful with the sediment you get a good amount of sludge in the glass. It doesn’t affect the taste too much, although there is a little bit of a sting-y afterfeel. The infusion makes the beer more juicy looking, to be sure, but it isn’t that sweet and perky juicy NEIPA that some people love and love to look down on.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz
Price: €7.15

prost

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Hey, what’s that on the beer holiday calendar? (Where the hell is a good beer holiday calendar??) It’s German Beer Day! Germany has long had a special place in the beer drinker’s heart, as the home of high quality and drinkable beer, maybe not as fancy as Belgian, but trustworthy in its effects. Although there aren’t that many German craft beers floating around, some classics do make their way across the continent and populate the shelves of better stores. Schneider-Weisse is one that isn’t hard to find, and the weissbier style is right for the times…of excessive heat and dryness.

Although light and snappy looking, it delivers a thick malty aroma. The head is bubbly and controlled. The flavor is difficult to pin down – I get the dusty maltiness up front, but there’s a spiciness that I didn’t expect right beside it. The wheat is clear enough, and not that weird aftertaste some of the more commercial German ones have, but it also has a pretty strong essence of hops. It’s a pretty mouth-filling beer, which shouldn’t be a surprise from a doppelbock. In spite of that, it’s very soothing, with an almost medicinal flavor developing over time. There’s a much more bubbly texture than I’m used to from bock beers, but it’s not unwelcome. It has a satisfying modern feel along with a comforting whisper of tradition, and I think that’s what a lot of people would hope for when they look for a beer to celebrate on German Beer Day.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz
Price: €3.50

rewind

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Times change but processes are always the same. It’s not so strange for businesses to close after a few years, some sooner than others, but it’s usually a little sad when they go. You get used to having them there in the background, even if you don’t patronize them super often. It’s going to be time to say goodbye to another beer store, this time near Retiro, so not too surprising that costs might catch up to them. It was a convenience, though, if you spent some time in the park and then went and got a good beer (or two) to take home. RIP, Birra Y Paz, these last few purchases will be your legacy. La Quince Vanilla Black Velvet is definitely something legacy worthy. My introduction to it was my first experience of glory with a craft beer.

Rich and chocolate syrup smell, deep dark color, only light head. It’s malty and bitter, very stouty flavor, not as sweet as more recent pastry stouts, but with that touch of chocolate that blew my mind all those years ago. This particular batch or bottle is a little bit dusty, not smooth or syrupy, although it goes down easy and doesn’t have any distracting aftertaste or leavings. It has a more classic feeling to it, more of the echoes of beers of old being reflected in a craft brew than the craft beer shining its own dazzling light. This classic from La Quince (and Guineu) may have its off years and less successful variations, but it’s hard to say that it’s ever not good. The starry-eyed beeriness that I get from it awakens some nostalgia and some determined hope for the future. Good beer is here to stay and arriving over the horizon.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz
Price: €4.50

go bananas

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With practically summer temperatures upon us, doesn’t it sound good to have a fruity beer? Not one of those high citrus IPAs, or a sour and mouth punching lambic, but something a little less common. Who expects a banana beer? Although Spanish, it is from Yakka, it’s a Belgian triple style, which is really the most logical path to that kind of additive. It is kind of heavy – we are talking triple after all – at a hefty 10%. It is indeed a Platanazo. Hopefully, it won’t be too much for globally warmed spring.

Extra foamy, a little bit more yellow than I was expecting, and with definite banana aroma. It’s pretty strong in the flavor too, although there’s a good mix of bitter and even sour alongside the banana bread. It’s not as smooth a feel as I thought it might be, it’s a crispier “crumb” on the bread part. At first it feels somewhat heavy in the mouth, but the flavor comes through gradually and lightens the mood quite a bit. It even makes me think that this is what a banana soda should be like, one of those “natural” ones. Citrus sodas, or just carbonated drinks, that promote themselves like that aren’t especially sweet. The sour reminds me that it is a Belgian style, with that little twang of aftertaste that I never quite get used to. Still, it’s a nice variation, and a good one to link the beer to its producer’s homeland.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurra
Price: €3.55

sunny days

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What kind of year starts out with early summer temperatures before spring even officially starts? A damn hot one, I bet. Also full of fire, apparently. It’s getting to be a good time to be a minimalist, who doesn’t need a lot of time to pack up and isn’t too concerned about losing a few things here and there. Beer, though, you can just grab and drink. Especially a lager beer. Enter Basqueland’s Santa Clara Lager.

Lemony yellow and light head, with a mild bready aroma. It’s definitely the kind of beer that people typically look for when the weather gets warmer, although it also has its year-round fans. The flavor is much toastier than the smell, heavier and harsher. It really perks up the drink, to be honest, the aroma was a little too subtle to be very interesting. The feel is pleasant, with just enough body to be noticeable, but not overwhelming. It’s a sweet little lager, not too bad for the beach, but with enough bite to keep it safe on the street.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurra
Price: €3

heavenly day

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As it’s unseasonably warm, I don’t have much against having those beers that aren’t as usual for me. Lighter, fresher, less soothing, pleasers of the masses, German pilsners. It is Naparbier, though, so at least I can be sure it’s quality, even if Spanish pilsners are always something of a risk. But, sometimes you need to take a risk to get to Paradise!

It’s extra light and extra foamy, filling half the glass with head on the first pour. The color is just barely yellow and crystal clear. There’s something a little reminiscent of the coast in the aroma, some salty sea air. But it’s heavier on the field, grain and grass. It feels light and creamy, with a little less bitter than you expect in a pilsner. It’s not that weird for Spanish ones, though. There’s a good amount of lemony citrus, so in keeping with German possibilities. It’s a very clean and summery beer too, with little to no aftertaste, easy to have a few of before you know it on a warm afternoon. It’s not quite summer yet, but spring has arrived with a vengeance.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €2.60

a real dessert

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So the month of stouts finishes, and I have a very nice brewery with something that might be very nice.  Frau Gruber sounds like it should be kept until Women’s History Month, but it was actually the work of two brewdudes (the Frau comes from the surname of one of them, so it’s not actually any kind of appropriation).  This is a 5th Season Imperial Stout (without Schischi), which sounds like it ought to be something revelatory and the result of years of testing.

Weirdly no head whatsoever – kept it too cold maybe? It still looks appetizing, very black and a little bit slick, with a slight perfume of banana bread. The flavor is sort of a rum banana cake, a little bit sweet and filled with alcohol. It has a very rounded feel, like a candy ball in the mouth almost. There’s some reminder of a Sahale rum barrel aged stout, which left very positive impressions, so there’s the familiarity and nostalgia factor working for it too. It’s not a beer to simply swig down; although smooth, there’s a weight behind it that makes itself known. They call black beers petroleum in Spain, and this one definitely has that kind of essence to it. It feels like fuel, giving off potency and power, the kind of drink that you imagine revving in the glass as you pour it.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €9.50

the wolves

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February is still a dark month, although little by little the days get longer.  It’s especially noticeable in Madrid, it seems to me, more than in places I’ve  lived before.  The change is obvious even over a couple of days.  So, I guess I need some shade before it gets to bright for all my waking hours.  Laugar is one of the best breweries in Spain for black beers in my opinion, and it seems to me that I might have even come across Basatia in the wild.  No reason not to have a quiet evening at home with it anyway.

The head is very dark and foamy, but unstable, disappearing in a few seconds. It leaves behind a good looking liquid behind, though, and a thick stout-appropriate aroma. I get licorice, a little dirt, some heavy fruit. It didn’t look very thick pouring out, but the scent promises almost syrup. It’s pretty smooth in feel, but there is indeed some good heft to it, and less licorice than I feared. There isn’t much stone fruit or sweetness at all, but it’s not quite bitter. It’s a smoky, earthy beer, leaving a little toastiness in its wake, treading softly. Despite having some respectable mouthfeel, overall the impression is of a laid-back beer, one that you can easily have a conversation with, and it won’t push you out of your chair.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.90

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